To begin direct fee of MSP to farmers, FCI asks Punjab govt for land data

The Food Corporation of India’s (FCI) Punjab workplace on Thursday wrote to the director of meals, civil provides and client affairs looking for land data of farmers in order to make direct on-line fee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) to their financial institution accounts from the upcoming Rabi advertising season (RMS).
The March 4 letter mentioned that FCI, Zonal Office (N), Noida, has directed that land data are a should for wheat procurement in RMS 2021-22.
The director has been requested to replace the land data on the Annaj Khardi Portal earlier than graduation of the RMS 2021-22 to keep away from problems.
The letter additional says: “It is requested to share data of land records and convey to the office where to find it so that FCI shall verify land records of farmers during RMS 2021-22 with regard to FCI’s own purchase.”
The problem of direct fee to farmers accounts is one thing the Centre has been mulling for the previous couple of years because it needs to take away middlemen from the method. Currently, arhtiyas (fee brokers) get the funds of their accounts, which they in flip pay to farmers by way of cheques. The Centre has to pay 2.5 per cent fee to arhtiyas who facilitate procurement of the crop from farmers to authorities companies and take fee for that from the federal government.

The Arhtiya Association of Punjab has already filed a petition in court docket in opposition to this, and likewise had the assist of some farmers.

Currently, the federal government pays round Rs 1,400 crore-worth of fee yearly for procurement of wheat and paddy solely.